not me! - Saturday, November 27 2004

i think i have some sort of gravitational pull towards MVA's (Motor Vehicle Accidents). it stopped raining/snowing today so i decided to go on another excursion; biked around up to Chapters, hit up Conestoga, then headed south down King street towards home.

so i'm biking along (down the left side of the road, going against north-bound traffic), the traffic on my right is pretty much at a stand-still, and i'm humming to myself, daydreaming about what to do with the 4 pieces of chicken marinating in the fridge, when the (now familiar) sound of screeching tires cuts through the air, and i look up to see the driver of a yellow Protege5 trying to brake in vain, and then...!BAM!...shatterd glass and debris flies through the air over my handlebars, and sprinkles itself all over the pavement (also familiar).

good thing i was biking on the sidewalk this time.

the traffic to my right had been just inching along, and i was just passing this pickup truck (just a meter away to my right) when the P5 driver, not paying attention to the flow i guess, slammed into it. glad that it wasn't me this time, i almost wanted to point and just go "you...You...YOU! not me, YOU!" (i think i've been around those 'noobs' Mike n G too much this term) but i thought that'd be mean. so i didn't do that.

i get off my bike just to see if anyone could use any help/witnesses or anything like that, but nobody seems to be injured. i find out there's actually 3 cars involved; the yellow P5, the pickup, and the car in front of the pickup. i thought that guy had stopped just to see if he could help/act as a witness, but i took a closer look at his rear bumper and i could see the plate # of the pickup imprinted on it. the force of the P5 must've shoved the pickup into the sedan. now it just so happens a cop car was driving in the other direction, so it stops and turns its lights on to redirect traffic, so now the situation's really under control. plenty of witnesses, no injuries (the lady driving the P5 started crying though, dumbass...it was her fault to begin with?!), and they even have an officer now to oversee the proceedings. yeesh...where were the cops when I got hit? stoobud lady...causes an accident, starts bawling. they called an ambulance n firetruck to the scene too...haai...shouldn't they have better things to do?

anyway...

so i got hungry again...but since i'd already downed a mozza burger @ the mall, instead of bustin' out the chicken fingers or fish sticks (w/ supplementary plum or tartar sauce) this time, i thought i'd try a healthier alternative & eat some of the ruby red grapefruit i got from Sobeys the other day, which were on sale for 69cents each!

click==><==click


*new* :picture of the moment:

uber udon - Tuesday, November 23 2004

my parents sent me a package last week, and i went to pick it up @ the postal outlet today after school. it was small, i just told them to send my scarf cuz i THOUGHT it was going to start getting cold, but it's pretty warm still. ah well, i think it was more of an excuse to get them to send me more food. after all, why waste money sending a package that only contains a feather-light scarf right? excellent...

so, one of the things they like sending are packs of noodles. i have an abundance of udon noodles now, since the packages fit nicely into small cracks of space left over in the boxes they've sent. given that i am a good boy, even when i don't feel like eating noodles now, i must eat them to ensure that i make use of these "gifts". i had noodles on sunday night. i had noodles last night. tonight...noodles again. o_O








i think i need a break. tomorrow, no more noodles.

MUTANTS!! - Monday, November 15 2004

during lunch today my friend jane told me she saw somethin' interesting on her tv this morning. some weird discovery made by scientists down in the States. although i wasn't skeptical, i was extremely curious to find out more...so i did. and i found pictures:
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it's not a teenaged ninja, but that's definitely some kinda weird mutant.

(kinda cute though doncha think?)

obsession - Tuesday, November 16 2004

people who know me well may sometimes refer to me as a motorcycle nut. i admit that i am at times, and am aware that i need to remember to keep my priorities straight (food, then bike...). but no matter how much i've drooled over exhaust pipes and smiled at the sight of titanium & carbon fiber bits and bites, i can't compare to this guy's level of obsession (nor do i want to):
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lucky ass.... - Thursday, November 18 2004

i think this is an example of the "self-fulfilling prophecy" that i learned about in Social Psychology last term. i've always had weird flashes about a situation just like the one that occurred 10 minutes ago...and now it finally happens in real-life. go figure.

long story short; got hit by a car while biking home today @ 1600, jumped off the bike @ the last minute & landed on my feet. picked up the bike, bent the handlebars & seat back into place, checked for anything broken (or missing), none, back home to cut meat.

lots of bystanders saw, helped me take down the plate number (ATMF 224 - red chevy cavalier...yeah there's an MF in there), kept asking me if i was ok, told me to go see a doctor etc. waterloo's cool like that i guess, lotsa students, all used to helpin' each other out i guess, but yeah i'm glad i'm ok. at least i think i am. i'll have to keep an eye on myself for the next couple days...

this reminds me of the time back when me n some of my childhood buddies used to play around n thought it'd be cool to jump over cars. yeah...weird kids right? but think about it; if the car's driving straight at you, and you time it right, you can just run at it, then when it's about a meter away you jump...and just run onto the hood, up the windshield, over the roof, and jump off the back. it was fun. of course we didn't do it to random people driving cars who we didn't know on the street...(only once). but yeah, today on the bike though, i saw the moron coming and i thought: if i try to bike faster n get out of the way, i'd either: a)not make it and have him hit my rear wheel and send me spinning, or b)bike too fast and shoot into the path of something else. so, since i was smack in the center of his path, i stayed put and just prepared myself for impact. he tried to slow down, but not enough, so i pushed off on both pedals just as the left side of the bike made contact with his bumper, and i was airborne...and i landed. in one piece.

how ironic, my last post was about getting "t-boned" too. i should've felt it coming i guess...something dramatic always happens every few months. well, at least this one's outta the way so i should be "safe" for another little while...although i hope this next stretch of "uneventfulness" lasts a bit longer. actually, u know what the WORST part about this is? if my mom reads this (which she just might, she's very nosy), i'm never gonna hear the end of it. so in anticipation of that happening, let me just say this: don't bother. heard it, tried it, know it, done it, i'm fine. =)

andy stochansky - Friday, November 12 2004

one of the things i told myself i'd remember to take advantage of since having to return to the 'Loo for one more term was taking in more of the numerous free shows that happen at the University. today i had an awesome opportunity to hear this dude perform in the SLC (Student Life Center) - Andy Stochansky. i've never heard of this dude before actlly, i just saw signs n posters up around school during the week, and since i was done class i decided to stick around for his 1230 lunchtime gig. i grabbed a couch up front, happened to bump into some ppl n we chatted a bit while waiting for the show. the Boston Globe was quoted on the poster: "One of the best live shows"...and they were right (at least in my opinion anyway). it was a tiny simple stage, 2 mics, andy singing w/ his acoustic/electric & his buddy doing backup vocals & background work on an electric. the sound was sweet & simple to my ears, & they even had a "semi-drum kit" (kick, snare, high-hat) at the side of the stage that they only really used for 1 song; for which they just asked if anyone in the audience knew how to drum n some dude volunteered n they jammed it out. i definitely lucked out on this one.

he did about 7 or 8 songs i think, not all of 'em were my taste i guess, but for a live performance he sounded stellar. there was this one song that i really liked though - 22 Steps. good lyrics, nice melody & a haunting overtune made this ballad stick in my head. not sure how it sounds on his cd, but i totally loved the acoustic rendition they played. guess that's the kinda style i like; unplugged. thought i'd post some of the lyrics:



22 Steps from the album: Five Star Motel

I know...
It takes 22 steps from the walk to your door.
It takes 22 steps 'cuz I've tried it before.
And one day I'll knock, but just not yet.
And I'm not so sure that you would not say 'get out, don't step in'.
I will never try again...
I'm not so sure that you would not say 'get out, don't step in'.
I will never try again...


2 Men, 2 Bikes, 20,000 Miles - Saturday, November 13 2004

bought a book today. can't remember the last time i bought (and read, and finished) a book merely for pleasure, but this one looks promising. i've mentioned it earlier before, when i read an article about it in the National Post about a month ago. it's a book written by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman, 2 best friends, their motorbikes, and their trip across the world. here's a sample:

"...we'd passed the place. The place that had been in my dreams. The place we'd fantasised about months before we'd even set off from London. A place with a river of cool, white water and a field nearby to pitch our tents. The place we were going to stop at in the middle of an afternoon so that we could cool our sweaty feet in the river while catching fish taht we'd cook that evening on an open fire under a star-speckled sky.

I'd seen that river half an hour earlier. There was no question at all that it was the place. A beautiful big white river and nobody for hundreds of miles. And we had ridden straight past it.

I sat down for five minutes, just needing to look at the countryside around us. The countryside that we often didn't have time to take in because we were always so intent on keeping to our schedule.

Then we got back on our bikes and moved on. A few weeks later, we arrived at the first big river in Siberia. It was too wide, too fast and too deep to cross on a motorbike. There was a bridge, but it had collapsed. I thought Charley would be itching to get ahead, impatient with the hold-up. But he was in his element. He knew that someone or something would be along to help. The delays were the journey. We'd get across it when we got across it.

I understood now that it didn't really matter that we hadn't stopped beside that cool, fast-flowing Mongolian river. The imperfections in our journey were what made it perfect...[a]fter all, the river would always be there. Now that I knew what was out there, I could always return."

taken from:
Long Way Round: Chasing shadows across the world


i read the first chapter over a cup of starbuck's outside the Chapters where i bought the book and i already think i'm gonna love it. simple prose, describing far less simple scenery, gorgeous landscapes and a grand adventure communicated in layman's terms. it's like i could totally imagine myself being there, along for the ride...one day, one day...=P


T-boned... - Sunday, November 14 2004

i got t-boned today. at approximately 1630. i wasn't ready for it, but i was in a rush to bike over to CIF for vball today at 1730, and i paid the price for my haste. luckily, i still ended up making it there by 1800 (gametime), and i managed to maintain my composure (for the most part) for the rest of the evening. next time though, i'll think twice before trying to leave things till the last minute. t-boned...like !BAM!
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like seriously...who eats big ass t-bones @ 1630 in the afternoon?? i guess i do... =)

o yeah, got a new :quote of the moment: it's quite intelligent...

Overdue...

looks like an update is in order here...it's been a week since i last posted. been busy, slightly stressed, but having fun along the way so it's all good:

Thursday, November 4 2004

no time to say much today...but pictures say it all right? behold...my hybrid fried rice.

crunch time... - Friday, November 5 2004 (15:13)

not much time, crazy past week w/ midterms n Lifesong prep. stage crew/production team slaved away yesterday night night till around 4am this morning...tomorrow, or tonight rather, is the night it all has to come together. here's a look at our setup in an empty hallway last night inside the CEIT, or as i like to call it, the "dinosaur building":


the beasts came out when it got dark...


but my late night hunger was even more beast, and i was able to vanquish that t-rex and devour my pizza to ensure survival of the fittest.



after around 5.5hrs of sleep felt like i needed more than cereal to wake me up so i did my thing @ the pool; 32 lengths/20 minutes. that actlly felt pretty good. k, got a stage crew meeting in SLC @ 1600, then a final run-through/dress-rehearsal in HH @ 1700...and then 1900 = SHOWTIME. here goes nothin'... ;)

Day Trip - Saturday, November 6 2004

Lifesong is over, and aside from a few minor glitches, i'd have to say things went pretty well. amidst all our script-writing stress, frantic a/v scrambling, etc...God's grace emerged as He heard our prayers and helped us through until the end. didn't get to see too much of the actual show from backstage, should look interesting on video though =P. o yeah, i had to get "beautified" since i was gonna be on stage. how do girls do it everyday?! my left eye was sooo itchy, but i couldn't rub it cuz they told me the eyeliner/mascara would smear. nasty!

anyway, after stuffing myself full of beef, eggs, etc...@ hotpot after Lifesong, i decided to go on a long overdue bike ride down into Kitchener. this was the first time i'd been able to go w/ my digicam too, so of course i took lots of pictures: Day Trip

Day Trip went from around 1300-1800, came home n had dinner upstairs w/ Mike, G, Nev, Ken, Quach, JT n Calla, then went to play tennis for a bit. that was cool, but the best part came after...GELATO. mmmm...i felt like i was back at home.



Farewell Action Jackson - Sunday, November 7 2004

had a lil farewell dinner-thing @ Mikey's Eatery in the plaza to bid farewell to a Waterloo icon. jackson's been here since '95. 1995! is that crazy or what? but i guess he's just an example of what a great place this little university town can really be, once you get past the smell...and the ugly buildings...and the nasty geese...and the...yeah it's really a nice place once you get used to it. he's gonna be heading to India for 4 months on a missions trip, working w/ a company called EMI (Engineering Ministries International), n then off to work in the head office in Calgary for another 4 months i think.

guess a lot of ppl are gonna miss seeing jackson's familiar smiling face around here; always cheerful, ready to help. i still rmmbr the first sunday 2 years ago when his volvo (w/ its B.C. license plate!) drove up to the house in the snow so i wouldn't have to bike through a blizzard to get to church. but don't let his calm demeanor fool you...i hear he got tossed from his last ice hockey game here for racking up not 1, not 2, but 3 penalties?? you'll be missed dude.